Postcards From… Cumberland Island
As a mother of a son and daughter, Tasty Brand co-founder Liane Weintraub knows a thing or two about healthy snacking—so it’s no surprise she’s a fan of the home-cooked meals at Cumberland Island’s Greyfield Inn. The Malibu resident just returned from a trip to the remote East Coast island and she’s already planning her next visit. Here are her postcards from Cumberland Island:
We had an absolutely magical vacation last month on a small island off the coast of Georgia called Cumberland Island. It takes a bit of effort to get to—but it is well worth it. The closest airport is Jacksonville, Florida, and the point of departure for the island is Fernandina Beach, where the Greyfield boat picks guests up at the dock. (Often the ferry is captained by your host, Greyfield Inn owner “Mitty” Fergusen, a descendant of Thomas Carnegie who bought Cumberland Island in the late 19th century. Staying at Greyfield feels a lot like being pampered house guests of Mitty & his wife Mary, who oversee the property to perfection. Everything is open and available to guests – the many books in the library, the games on the shelves and the bikes and kayaks in the shed. Even the bar is run on an “Honest John” system in which guests write down their beverages and cocktails on a chit.
GREYFIELD INN Formerly the Carnegie Mansion, the house has been kept “as-is” with antique furnishings. We stayed in the Master Suite, which was divine!
GREYFIELD KITCHEN Guests at Greyfield have 3 meals a day prepared in their excellent kitchen. And lunch is served in a picnic basket that guests can take anywhere on the island! All ingredients are organic and locally sourced and most of the produce is grown in Greyfield’s kitchen garden.
CYCLING There are lots of cruisers in all sizes for guests to enjoy. We took bikes all over the island, exploring the marshes and ruins.
PLUM ORCHARD MANSION Formerly one of the Carnegie estates, this stunning Greek revival mansion is now owned by the National Parks Service.
DUNGENESS RUINS Once a major Carnegie estate, this mansion is now in ruins.
FIRST AFRICAN BAPTIST CHURCH The former slave church where JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were married.
BEACH 18 miles of pristine, white sand beach with virtually no people on it! There are wild horses grazing on the dunes.
MARSH The very rich saltwater and fresh water marshes are full of animal and sea life. My kids spent hours hunting for fossils and shark’s teeth.
GOGO FERGUSON She’s the Carnegie’s great-granddaughter, who lives on the island and is a well-known jeweler (she just had a major retrospective at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta). She casts a lot of “found materials” like shells and bones from nature in gold and sterling silver. I have a few pieces of hers.
WILD HORSES There are hundreds of wild horses living on the island. Their lineage dates back to the time of the Conquistadors, when the Spanish brought horses over, and to the time when slavery was abolished and horses were “set free” from the Ashford cotton plantation.
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